What it is
Movies in the dark. The TV will be used for watching movies in a controlled environment, directly in front, in a home theater way. Mostly only high quality content, like Blu-rays, UHD Blu-rays, streaming and a little bit of HDR.

What it is
TV Shows in a bright living room. The TV will be used in to watch TV shows, in a bright room during the day, from multiple viewing positions at different angles. The content watched has an average quality: cable, streaming, SD channels, etc.

What it is
Video games. The TV will be used to play video games, directly in front, in a controlled light environment. Usually fast games, like online FPS, where motion blur and input lag is important.

What it is
HDR Gaming. The TV will be used to play HDR video games using consoles that support it or on current generation gaming PCs. Xbox One S, PS4 Pro, GTX 10 series and AMD RX series graphics cards.

The X800E is a good 4k smart TV with decent picture quality for an LED TV. It has a wide viewing angle and can display a wide range of colors with very smooth gradients. It also has low input lag and deals with motion well, making it a good gaming TV. Unfortunately though, its blacks lack depth, and they'll often appear blotchy making the TV less suitable for use in a darker setting.

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Design

The design of the X800E is similar to most other Sony TVs, including the X800D from 2016. It does have less of a premium feel to it when compared to the older model, and some of the inputs can be a bit more difficult to access if close to a wall. It also has an external power brick.

Stand

The plastic stand is a bit lower quality than the 2016 X800D but still supports the TV well and provides tracks at the back for some basic cable management.

Footprint of the 43" TV stand: 9.6" x 21.9"

Back

Wall Mount
:
Vesa 100x200

The rear of the TV is quite basic and made of plastic. Some of the inputs may be difficult to access if placed close to a wall as they go directly out the back of the TV. Note that there is an external power brick which may make the TV a bit more difficult to mount.

Borders

Borders
:
0.51" (1.3 cm)

The border of the TV have an average thickness but look quite good. The edges are metallic.

Thickness

Max Thickness
:
2.28" (5.8 cm)

The TV is a bit thicker than average when viewed from the side. If wall mounted it may stick out a little bit.

The main body of the TV is fairly cool, only getting slightly warm along the bottom where the LEDs are for the backlight. Its power brick on the other hand does get warm to the touch, reaching 40 °C.

6.5Build Quality

The build quality of the X800E is decent. Most of the TV is plastic, but screws around the edges hold the TV together well. The remote also feels quite low quality, especially when compared to higher end Sony TVs.

The Sony X800E has an average picture quality. The contrast ratio and black uniformity are disappointing and when set in a dark room, and results in grayish looking blacks. As a result, the X800E won't be a good choice for a dark room but still can be okay for a viewing room with a lot of light as the low contrast isn't noticeable when viewed in a bright setting. The peak brightness is good and should be enough to fight glare from a close lamp or a window, but the screen is worse than average at dealing with reflections. The gray uniformity could be better but luckily, dirty screen effect is not a problem. The addition of the decent viewing angle results in a good TV for watching sport, especially with a large group of people. Finally, the X800E has a good HDR capability since it has a good HDR peak brightness, wide color gamut and it can display gradients without banding.

The Sony X800E has a disappointing contrast ratio of only 961:1. This is mostly due to the IPS panel used in this 2017 model. This results in a quarter of the contrast ratio when compared to the 2016 X800D, which is a big disappointment. When viewed in a dark room, dark scenes in movies look washed-out and blacks aren't as deep as on other TVs with VA panel.

Good value:
Full-array/direct lighting is better for local dimming. As for the uniformity of the screen, it depends on the implementation. Some edge-lit TVs have more uniform blacks than some full-array TVs.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity the TV can obtain while playing a movie or while watching a TV show. This scene was selected to represent a more regular movie condition. All measurement are made with the TV set to be as bright as possible, but with a 6500k white. Measured with local dimming, max backlight and over SDR signal. Scene: here.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 2% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

When it matters:
Bright highlights, present on screen for a short time; especially for SDR content.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 10% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

When it matters:
Bright objects, present on screen for a short time; especially for SDR content.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 25% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 50% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 100% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 2% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

When it matters:
Bright highlights, persistent throughout a scene; especially for SDR content.

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 10% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

When it matters:
Bright objects, persistent throughout a scene; especially for HDR content.

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 25% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 50% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 100% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over SDR signal.

Great SDR peak brightness. The TV stays consistently bright no matter the content played, and should appear bright even in a moderately lit room; however it's not as bright as most high end TVs. The TV is a little brighter than last year's X800D but less bright than the X700D.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity the TV can obtain while playing a movie or while watching a TV show. This scene was selected to represent a more realistic movie condition. All measurement are made with the TV set to be as bright as possible, but with a 6500k white. Measured with local dimming, max backlight and over HDR signal. Scene: here.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 2% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

When it matters:
Bright highlights, present on screen for a short time; especially for HDR content.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 10% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

When it matters:
Bright objects, present on screen for a short time; especially for HDR content.

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 25% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 50% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

What it is:
The maximum luminosity, even if only maintained for a short time, of a white square covering 100% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 2% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

When it matters:
Bright highlights, persistent throughout a scene; especially for HDR content.

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 10% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

When it matters:
Bright objects, persistent throughout a scene; especially for HDR content.

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 25% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 50% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

What it is:
The lowest maximum luminosity (usually after it has stabilized) of a white square covering 100% of the screen, with the TV set to be as bright as possible. Measured with local dimming and over HDR signal (if supported).

Decent HDR peak brightness. The TV is consistently bright when watching any content, however its lack of local dimming prevents it from making small highlights as bright as intended. The TV is a little brighter than the X800D from last year but less bright than the X700D.

The overall gray uniformity of the X800E is decent, and there is not too much visible dirty screen effect as most of the issues are situated on the edges of the screen. Both sides are particularly darker than the middle of the screen leaving the center of the screen pretty even. Dirty screen effect is not really a problem.

Nothing too bad stands out looking at the 5% gray test picture and this reflects what the TV looks like in person, which is a good thing.

Decent viewing angle. The TV's black level does not change much at an angle, however its colors wash out rapidly and its brightness decreases steadily when viewed on an angle. People sitting to the side of the TV will still have okay picture quality, better than with many VA TVs such as the X800D, but not as good as with OLEDs or some other IPS TVs.

The black uniformity is bad on the 2017 X800E. Some flashlighting can be seen in both top corners and clouding is present on most of the screen, but a lot of it is due to the fact that this model is using a IPS panel which usually performs worse than TVs with VA panels. In any case, dark scenes will not look optimal on this TV, especially when the TV is set in a dark room.

The X800E performs very well on our gradient test. As you can see in our test picture, the gradient looks very smooth and is almost perfect, without any major visible banding from any colors and even in the grayscale.

Great performance out of the box for the Sony X800E. The white balance is a bit on the warmer side than we usually aim for, but it is not far off and the gamma is tracking our 2.2 target pretty closely. Looking at the color dE, overall it is a great score, where all color tracks relatively well, with only the blues being a bit less accurate. In the end, this is a good result and for personal use, this TV could be used as it is without any problems.

After calibration, the X800E is very accurate. The white balance dE was brought down to only 0.27, which is a great result and calibration is relatively easy. As a result of this, the gamma was able to track closely to our 2.2 target.

When it come to the Color dE, as with other Sony TVs, the X800E does not have a 'Color Management System' and the only correction possible here is done via the white balance. Even without a 'CMS', the color dE was brought down to 1.99, which is still better than what we had out of the box, with only the blues being a bit more off than the rest of the other colors.

Wide color gamut, though not as wide as on the X800D. Deep colors in HDR content will be fairly well represented. The TV struggles with showing deep greens, like most other TVs, but also can't show fully saturated blue.

The TV's EOTF follows the PQ curve fairly closely, but at higher brightness it rolls off then clips at its maximum brightness. This EOTF was measured in the Custom picture mode using our recommended settings; the EOTF in the Cinema Pro picture mode shown here is nearly identical unlike other Sony TVs we've measured.

Poor color volume. The TV has a wide color gamut when showing bright colors, but its gamut narrows significantly when showing very dark colors. It also can't make dark colors dark enough due to its low contrast ratio. The TV performs frame dimming when shown our black-with-border slide, but even this doesn't make the black point very dim.

The X800E as an excellent result on our image retention test. If you look very closely to our test picture, you will see a really faint remnant of the top Rtings logos but it was not enough to trigger a response from our test. Looking at the TV in person when the pictures were taken, it was not possible to see any retention. For an IPS TV, this is a very good performance, especially if you compare with the 2016 Sony X700D IPS TV.

The X800E is a bit more reflective than most other TVs. This is fine for a dark room, but for a bright room rainbows can be seen around reflections and the semi-gloss finish diffuses them across the screen.

Motion

The X800E is good at handling motion. It has a fast response time which results in very little blur following fast moving objects. By default the backlight doesn't flicker which helps to produce smooth motion, but it is possible to introduce flicker to clear up fast moving content. Movies played from a cable box do experience some minor judder, but this isn't noticeable to most people. The X800E has a 60Hz panel which can interpolate lower frame rate content for those who enjoy the soap opera effect.

Like many Sony TVs, the backlight doesn't flicker by default. This results in smoother motion without duplications. It is possible to flicker the backlight with the 'Motionflow' setting. Increasing the 'Clearness' slider causes the backlight to flicker at 120Hz which clears up motion blur a bit but not as good as the 60Hz flicker available on the X800D.

This TV can only display 24p movies without judder from 24p sources (DVDs, Blu-rays). 24p movies playing from 60p/60i sources like cable or satellite boxes do present some minor judder and the TV can't remove even with 'CineMotion' set to 'Auto'.

This is the same result as last year models (X800D) and people who are sensitive to judder may notice it when watching movie from cable/satellite boxes.

The X800E has a 60Hz panel which can interpolate lower frame rate content. To do so adjust the 'MotionFlow' to 'Custom' and increase the 'Smoothness' slider. Note that any motion interpolation does introduce some artifacts.

Inputs

The X800E supports all the common input signals (except 120 Hz), so nearly all content will be displayed properly. It has low input lag which is good enough for most gamers, but very competitive gamers may be disappointed.

Consistent low input lag of ~34 ms when in the Game or Graphics picture modes. This should be good enough for most gamers but may disappoint very competitive gamers. The input lag with motion interpolation enabled is much better than on most TVs, but at 49.5 ms it's still a little high for gaming. Overall the input lag is very similar to that of the X800D.

Update 07/18/2017: The TV has been tested with the newest firmware update (PKG6.2648.0065NAA). The input lag remains the same.

All the common input resolutions are supported, except 120 Hz input because this TV has a 60 Hz panel. To receive 4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 color, HDMI inputs 2 or 3 must be used and 'HDMI Enhanced Format' must be enabled. 4:4:4 color is displayed properly in the Game or Graphics picture modes. When using the TV as a PC monitor 1080p is listed as the default resolution.

Side Inputs

Rear Inputs

Total Inputs

HDMI
:
4

USB
:
3

Digital Optical Audio Out
:
1

Analog Audio Out 3.5mm
:
1

Analog Audio Out RCA
:
0

Component In
:
1 (shared)

Composite In
:
2 (shared)

Tuner (Cable/Ant)
:
1

Ethernet
:
1

DisplayPort
:
0

IR In
:
1

SD/SDHC
:
0

There are two composite inputs on the rear of the TV, but one of them is shared with the component input. The other composite input is in for the form of a 3.5mm jack and requires an adapter (not included) such as this.

What it is:
The amount of deviation (weighted standard deviation) in frequency response measured with the TV at maximum volume, as compared to a target response that would sound perfectly balanced to most people.

When it matters:
Shows the TV's frequency response at under maximum load

Passable frequency response. The sound coming from the X800E's speakers is a bit dark, mostly from the relatively strong recession in the higher frequencies. Compression and pumping artifacts are also present at higher volumes.

What it is:
The average amount of inter-modulation distortion produced by the TV under maximum load. The percentage shown here is the average result of 3 separate test signals/standards: SMPTE, DIN, & CCIF

When it matters:
When a clean and free of aliasing reproduction is desired

What it is:
The average amount of inter-modulation distortion produced by the TV under maximum load. The percentage shown here is the average result of 3 separate test signals/standards: SMPTE, DIN, & CCIF

When it matters:
When a clean and free of aliasing reproduction is desired

Smart Features

The Sony X800E runs the new Android TV 7.0 Nougat, which has a few major changes compared to 6.0 . Double clicking the home button now opens a task switching menu where the user can quickly switch between running apps. There is also a new picture in picture feature that lets video from an HDMI input or the TV's tuner be shown in a hovering box at the top right corner of the screen, while the user navigates the TV's interface and opens apps. Overall though the new update didn't fix the main problems with the platform, namely ease of navigation, interaction speed and frame drops, and the remote's lack of smart features.

Other core features of Android TV remain unchanged. The included Google Play store has a vast selection of apps that can be downloaded, more than on many other smart platforms. The TV's 'Chromecast built-in' feature allows content to be cast from a smartphone or tablet to the TV. The remote has a built in microphone for voice search, which works well.

What it is:
How long it takes to select YouTube for launch, starting from HDMI 1 input, when YouTube is placed first on the list of apps or added as a shortcut. This does not include app launch time, and does not use a fixed YouTube button on a remote. This serves as an indication of the time needed to select any app.

What it is:
Whether advanced options and settings are available, such as color calibration.

When it matters:
When customizing the TV and using the smart features.

:
Many

The Android TV interface isn't quite as easy to use as many other smart platforms, and on this TV it sometimes has lag and choppy animations. The 'Action Menu' button on the remote helps to alleviate this by giving quick access to common functions.

The TV has no ads in its main interface, though apps can have ads. It's possible to opt out of personalized advertising for these ads.

The first row of the TV's home screen is filled with suggested content. In the 'Home' section of the TV's settings there is an option to disable sources of suggested content. If all these sources are disabled the first row of the home screen just contains a line saying "No recommendations available at this time".

What it is:
Whether HDR content on YouTube can be played in HDR using the native YouTube app.

:
No

The TV comes preloaded with all the popular apps such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Video. Many more apps can be downloaded from the included Google Play store, which has a larger selection of apps than many other smart platforms.

What it is:
Whether the remote can act as a universal remote for HDMI CEC enabled devices. This was tested on our Samsung UBD-K8500 4K Blu-ray player, and may not be valid for other CEC devices as implementations vary by manufacturer.

What it is:
Whether the remote has any other smart features, such as a pointer, universal remote support for non HDMI CEC devices, etc.

:
No

The X800E's remote is very large with a dizzying array of buttons. Fortunately most of the commonly used buttons are clustered within easy reach around the direction pad, though the power and inputs buttons at the top of the remote are difficult to reach. The remote has a built in microphone for voice search, which can quickly bring up content within apps to watch or buy, but lacks the advanced voice command features of some other platforms such as Samsung's Tizen OS.

The remote is identical to that of the X850E (same model number), but not as good as those of the X900E and X800D, due to each button being a separate chunk of rubber rather than the continuous surface of the other remotes.

The Android TV remote app doesn't have as many features as the apps of some other smart platforms, but it can still be useful.

Update 09/12/2017: Sony has an app called 'Video & TV SideView' that's better than the Android TV app in most ways. It adds a few features like launching both apps and inputs, and has three different remote modes, one being a mouse cursor on the TV. The score and data fields have been updated to reflect the Sony app.

TV Controls

The TV has three physical buttons: the center button switches between different functions such as input, volume and channel, while the (+) and (-) buttons increment the function. The center button also serves as the TV's power button.

In The Box

Manual

Batteries

Remote

External power brick

IR Blaster

Cable management tie

Misc

Power Consumption
:
36 W

Power Consumption (Max)
:
81 W

Firmware
:
PKG6.2406.0040NAA

Differences between Sizes and Variants

We tested the 43" (XBR43X800E). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 49"(XBR49X800E) and 55" (XBR55X800E)

If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Sony XBR-43X800E doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.

The X800D is the previous Sony TV from the same series, and it's overall a better TV. It doesn't have the same wide viewing angles, but it has a much better picture quality. Unless you're going to be using the TV as a PC monitor, the X800D is a better choice.

The MU6300 is an entry level 4k TV from Samsung. It's a bit better in a dark room, but picture quality degrades rapidly at an angle. It doesn't have some of the HDR-related features found on the X800E, but the contrast ratio is a big difference. Especially since it is quite a bit cheaper, most people will be better off with the MU6300.

The MU8000's is one of Samsung's midrange 4k TVs for 2017. It's a step up both in price and performance over the KU6300, but it's also a better overall TV than the X800E. It does much better in a dark environment, but it doesn't have the wider viewing angles of the X800E. Unless you plan to watch your TV from an angle, go for the MU8000.

The X700D is a Sony IPS TV from 2016, It performs very similarly to the X800E, but without a wider color gamut. If you're not too interested in HDR, it's a good alternative since it can be found for a lesser price.

Good TV for mixed usage. the X800E provides a decent picture quality that is well retained at an angle, while also having good motion and input lag. Unfortunately though, deficiencies in the blacks are quite apparent when used in a darker setting.

What it is
Movies in the dark. The TV will be used for watching movies in a controlled environment, directly in front, in a home theater way. Mostly only high quality content, like Blu-rays, UHD Blu-rays, streaming and a little bit of HDR.

What it is
TV Shows in a bright living room. The TV will be used in to watch TV shows, in a bright room during the day, from multiple viewing positions at different angles. The content watched has an average quality: cable, streaming, SD channels, etc.

The X800E does well well with TV shows. It gets sufficiently bright for use in the daytime, and the wide viewing angle is useful for wider living rooms. Unfortunately though, it's not the best at dealing with reflections.

What it is
Video games. The TV will be used to play video games, directly in front, in a controlled light environment. Usually fast games, like online FPS, where motion blur and input lag is important.

What it is
HDR Gaming. The TV will be used to play HDR video games using consoles that support it or on current generation gaming PCs. Xbox One S, PS4 Pro, GTX 10 series and AMD RX series graphics cards.

Good TV to use as a PC monitor. Wide viewing angles render it usable from a close range without having the edges of the screen darken. Input lag is decently low, and the necessary resolutions are supported.

I currently have a 49" X800D IPS display however it has some bleeding/glow effect at the bottom of the screen due to the edge lit backlight underneath. It is especially noticeable with black and solid colors at all but the darkest settings. I like to keep it around the default 35 since I use it a well lit room. From research the bleed through effect seems to be pretty common on that TV. Anyways I'm wondering if you have noticed if the X800E has the same issue?

Our 43X800E doesn't have much glow from the bottom, but it has a lot of other black uniformity problems such as flashlighting from the top two corners, visible in our test picture. IPS TVs often have bad black uniformity, but our 43X800E was worse than most.

I don't believe the "native streaming apps" part is correct. My understanding is that the internal video on Sony TVs is fixed at 60 Hz, and as a result there is judder with 24 fps content, unless motion interpolation is engaged.

Upon further testing you are correct, the X800E has judder when playing 24p video (such as movies) on Netflix and YouTube. The review has been updated. Indeed the X800D, X930E, Z9D and A1E all have judder when playing 24p video on Netflix, but the X900E and X850E do not when MotionFlow is set to "TrueCinema" and Cinemotion to "High".